BHS Students Host 2nd Annual Brewster Model United Nations Conference

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On Saturday, November 10th, Brewster students welcomed delegates from four local high schools to participate in Brewster’s annual Model United Nations conference. All in all, sixty-six students from Edgemont, Scarsdale, Rye Neck, and the Canterbury School participated in this day of debate and problem-solving. The attending delegates each had the opportunity to be a part of one of the conference’s four committees: FDR’s Cabinet, Council of the Greek Gods, Star Wars, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Brewster’s first Model United Nations conference was held last October. It featured three committees and was attended by three other high schools. This first conference was made possible by the persistence of last year’s club leadership, which was responsible for informing other schools of the new conference and facilitating the event for the very first time.

This year’s conference, the second iteration of BrewMUNC, was highly anticipated by members of Brewster High School’s Model UN club. Nearly six months of planning took place to ensure the success of the conference: countless emails reminding schools of important details, hours spent developing background guides for each committee, and innumerable phone calls coordinating logistical details for the conference. A total of thirty Brewster students contributed to the organization of the various committees to ensure their success.

Opening ceremonies for the event featured keynote speaker Michael Gerrard, a law professor at Columbia University and a highly respected environmental lawyer and author. Delegates were fascinated by Mr. Gerrard’s commentary on modern climate change and recent international agreements. The conference was officially opened by Directors of Conferences Erin Renzi and Olivia Fedio following Mr. Gerrard’s presentation.

Debate commenced shortly thereafter. In a committee based on President Roosevelt’s cabinet, delegates were responsible for solving the economic problems of the Great Depression. Yet soon after taking steps to mitigate the effects of this economic turmoil, delegates entered the United States into World War II. Due to the delegates’ poor battle tactics, the Allies were unable to defeat the Axis powers. However, delegates were still able to have a great time formulating policies for the United States at such a pivotal time in history.

In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Disaster Committee, delegates were tasked with responding to a devastating terrorist attack that occurred at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While the committee started with the best of intentions, it soon became clear that many delegates had ulterior motives. Crisis after crisis emerged, from the destruction of Edinburgh to the conquering of Ukraine. By the end, World War III had officially begun.

Another of the committees, the Council of Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses, gave delegates the chance to use the powers of the Greek gods to manipulate the outcomes of events in the Olympic Games. Delegates also debated the status of minor gods on Mount Olympus, ultimately recognizing four minor gods as major deities. For the second half of the conference, delegates picked sides between Athens and Sparta and each side generated battle plans in hopes of winning the Peloponnesian War. Ultimately, the delegates were able to unite in the face of a common enemy when one of the fearsome Titans threatened to decimate Greek civilization.

BrewMUNC’s final committee, Star Wars, featured its own surprises and challenges for delegates. Delegates were faced with the threat of hope spreading throughout the galaxy after the destruction of the Death Star battle station. Yielding secret powers, each delegate worked to enforce their own agenda and make the empire prosperous once more. While the Galactic Republic reigned supreme in the end, delegates still had a great time creatively using their abilities to combat the Republic.

At the end of the day, delegates gathered in the iLC to give out awards and share their experiences. As the members of Brewster’s Model UN club turn their focus to upcoming conferences at Pelham High School and Columbia University, it is their hope that next year’s club members will build off of the momentum of BrewMUNC II and make Brewster’s third conference the biggest success yet.

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